Google accuses CCI of protecting Amazon in Android case, says ordered changes to favor firm

livemint.com:

Google said CCI officers had ‘copypasted’ parts of a European ruling against the it in a similar case, which CCI denied. In October, CCI slapped a fine of $163 million on Google. In its order CCI had said that modified versions of its Android operating system, called Android forks, to be liberally distributed without any licensing restrictions such as those related to pre-installation of Google apps.

Amazon told the CCI  that Google's restrictions hindered development of its Android fork called Fire OS. While, Google said the watchdog unfairly relied on that in passing its adverse decision against it, the company said in the June 26 Supreme Court filing. "Globally, FireOS failed commercially due to poor user experience.

In India, the Fire Phone was not even launched. Thus, the Commission called Amazon’s lack of attempt to compete in India a failure and attributed it to Google’s agreements.," Google said reported Reuters. The CCI's directive was issued “only to protect Amazon - who complained that its attempts at creating a forked version of the Android did not work because of (Google's) restrictions." Google has been particularly concerned about India's Android decision as the directives were seen even more sweeping than those imposed in the European Commission's landmark 2018 ruling against the company's Android market abuse.

Google has challenged both the South Korean and European orders. In its October ruling, the CCI said its investigators found Google's contractual restrictions had ‘reduced the ability and incentive of device manufacturers to develop and sell’ devices operating on Android forks, hurting consumer interests. Amazon told Indian investigators the creation of Fire OS, as a forked Android, took